We Almost Knew
by AwakeningAngels
Summary: Two simple girls wanting to fit in realize where their true loves had been lying all along.
1. September 17th - Pt 1

**Author's Note**: This is my second attempt at writing a Karley fan fiction. The first one I have, _The Nine Lives Kind of Girl_, seems to have failed miserably. I'm not sure how I am going to revive that fan fiction, but I'm going to have to figure something out. I decided to write this particular story because, well, I ship Karley (and Kyder, Jyder, etc. as well, but this story idea came first). One random day, I was in school, and I had my _Glee_ notebook in handy (no, not an actual manufactured one; just a composition book that I decorated and stuff). I just started writing this story that I thought could be a sure-fire winner, and well…here ya go. It's being written, edited, and published as we speak. Here's some awesome Karley goodness coming your way, people.

**Summary**: Two simple girls wanting to fit in realize where their true loves had been lying all along.

**Extended Summary**: Kitty Wilde was only a simple girl destined for popularity. She thought she had it all in the bag: becoming a high school cheerleader, going after the most handsome guy on the football team, and having everyone bow down before her majesty. However, the cruel cheerleader encounters a humble, young, carefree girl named Marley Rose, the last person on earth Kitty thought she would be speaking to. Everyone loves Marley, and Kitty didn't understand why; that is, until they join forces and eventually befriend each other. Is their companionship more than just school journeys and bubblegum-flavored smiles? Truth be told, they almost knew…

**Main Characters**: Kitty W., Marley R., Ryder L., Jake P., Tina C., Unique A.

**Featured Pairings**: Karley (Kitty/Marley), Jyder (Jake/Ryder), Kyder (Kitty/Ryder), Jarley (Jake/Marley), Kittinique (Kitty/Tina/Unique)

**Story Notes**: This story takes place around the fifth episode of _Glee's_ fourth season, "The Role You Were Born to Play", but possibly a little bit earlier than so. Jitty (Jake/Kitty) never happened prior to the events in this story. Tina and Unique are Kitty's best friends _way_ earlier than on the show (on the show, they started warming up to each other around the back-half of S4 and going onwards to S5). Tina is a member of the Cheerios earlier on than in the series; same goes for Jake and Ryder on the basketball team. Finn (RIP) wasn't the one to bring Kitty into the glee club (you'll find out later in the story). Tina and Artie rekindle their relationship with each other. There is also a scene that is based off of the Kittany (Kitty/Brittany) scene from "Guilty Pleasures" (4x17). That's all I have so far; there will be more spoilers as I continue.

**Warning**: Verbal language, crude humor, suicide triggers, etc.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to _Glee_. All of the rights to the show go to Ryan Murphy and Co., and Twentieth Century Fox.

* * *

_**Chapter One  
**__Monday, September 17__th_

* * *

_Property of Kitty Wilde_

_Look, diary. I have a bone to pick with you. Yes, I did just refuse to start off my damn journal entry with "Dear diary," or anything cheesy like I'm a part of The Princess Diaries or something. The only reason my mother got me this damn thing was so I could write down my feelings, or any fucking sob stories I have. But seriously, diary, what the hell do I need to do that for? I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint my emotional and mental states. I'm in high school, for Christ's sakes. And speaking of which, I should probably tell you about what happened today._

_It's kind of cliché, but I think I found my true love. Yeah, it's one of those things. Lame, right? But anyways, his name is Ryder Lynn. He is on the football team at my school. Surprisingly, he's not like those other dick heads on the team. He's really kind-hearted, and he actually cares about random shit like homework and whether a girl is having problems at home or not._

_I was on the football field with other members of the Cheerios. No, diary, it's not a breakfast club; it's a cheerleading team. Coach Sue Sylvester has us practicing our routine for the homecoming pep rally next month. Coincidentally, Ryder and the other football jocks were out there getting ready for an upcoming game. He had been running across the field for a while now, and he looked super sweaty. I swear, it was like water running down a banana's length as it got washed, its peel getting wet –_

_Maybe I shouldn't write so descriptively like that anymore. In that way, if you know what I mean. Come on, diary, I'm not a slut. I go to church literally every week, and I've taken the abstinence pledge and everything._

_The things Ryder has me feeling lately, though…_

_Ugh, anyways, he's new at this school. Just like me, you know? This year is my year to develop my popularity, and I will literally do almost anything to let the school know that I'm that HBIC who shall get what she wants. And I want __him__. Yes, him. Ryder Lynn._

_So as I write my thoughts into this notebook (even though I find it pretty unnecessary to do so), I shall prepare myself for –_

* * *

_THUD!_

Kitty didn't have an absolute idea on who had pushed into her, but she could feel her face, hands, and chest slam into the lockers, her whole body just tumbling to the ground. Another unknown body had crashed into her. All Kitty could hear was a girl's pained voice, and a couple of masculine snickers. The next thing she heard were a couple of gasps and whispers, along with loud gym-shoe thuds across the hallway's hard floors.

_Those God-fucking football jocks_, Kitty thought in the back of her mind. All of a sudden, her mind focused back on the unidentified girl on top of her. Kitty grunted in pain as she felt the girl's arms and chest all on Kitty's fragile back. _And will this bitch get off of me?_

Kitty elbowed the girl that had fallen on top of her, and shoved her into the ground. It's rare for something like that to happen to Kitty. Actually, it really shouldn't. Kitty Wilde never gets pushed to the ground, as she stated herself on certain occasions. It was sometimes her job to push others to the ground, because, Lord knows, she's a cold-hearted bitch to almost everyone.

Well, it's what she wanted people to believe, at least.

The flawless blonde smoothed her crisp, red Cheerios uniform, and glanced down at a brunette girl, giving her a snobby scoff and a careless eye roll. She knew who she was, and loathed her to this day.

"Do you have any idea on who the hell you think you are?" Kitty scolded the brunette on the floor, who attempted to get off the floor.

The brunette brought her eyes up to Kitty's, innocently watching Kitty as she took in her heartless, bitchy demeanor. The shorter blonde, in her mind, smirked at the familiar facial expression.

Marley Rose.

Marley stuttered at Kitty's question, trying to figure out the best way to confess to her that those damn football jocks shoved her, which eventually led to her falling on Kitty. The words weren't coming out the right way, though.

"K – Kitty, you…you don't understand. I – "

Kitty just chuckled, slightly tugging at her perfectly-curled, blonde ponytail. "Cat caught your tongue, Rose?" she teased. "Speak up!"

Marley caught herself letting her own nerves getting the better of her. _Why does this have to happen now?_ Marley thought as she shyly eyed the evil Cheerio above her. "They…I mean – those guys, they –"

Kitty cocked her eyebrow in confusion, holding her hand up to her ear. "You saying something, Mousey Sue?" she asked, giggling at her own mean joke. "Get it? Because you sound like a mouse every time you speak to people, and you act like this overly-perfect young teenage girl, dubbed Mary Sue." While Kitty gave the shy girl her best bitch smirk, Marley kept picking at her gray sweater.

Marley wanted to tell Kitty that it was the football jocks' fault. They made her do it, even though it wasn't her intention to do so. Everyone seemed to push her around on a daily basis. And when it happens, Marley is always the one to be blamed for it. For what reason, though? She didn't want to hurt anyone.

"I think I know what this is." Kitty replied, as-a-matter-of-factly, ignoring Marley's attempts to explain herself. "Some considerate young gentleman from the football team – geez, why are they so kind to you anyways? – tried to take away a full bag of Cheetos you had been saving for yourself for when you stuff your face after an epic meltdown. But then, your already muffin-top-lookin', rock-bottom ass decides to put up a fight, because…well, I mean, look at you. Your mom's a friggin' chef. It's obvious how it came to be." At that moment, Kitty's beat changed as she switched sides to lean on, changing the tone in your voice into a sarcastic one. "What was her favorite food when she was a young girl? Was it…the whole cabinet?"

Marley knew what this was.

The first couple of days, she sat with Kitty and members of the McKinley High glee club, New Directions, and had gotten to know them better. She overheard Kitty and a couple of her football jock friends, Phil and Bobby, along with New Directions member, Sugar Motta, make fun of the "fat lunch lady" that served a couple of burgers behind the counter.

That "fat lunch lady" was Marley's mother.

Ever since that day, when Marley defended the "fat lunch lady" she called her "mother", she's always been made fun of for it. And the torture wouldn't stop.

"Kitty, please…" Marley begged the blonde before her.

"Look here, Beer Belly," Kitty interrupted, "while I understand your self-proclaimed love for anything that is over 95 calories, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't rub it in on me, okay?" The blonde Cheerio gestured to herself, and Marley watched as her hands ran down her figure. Kitty's body looked really healthy and fit. Marley wished she could look like her. "I could've been sent to the emergency room for my broken bones – or even worse: I could have _died_ before making it there!"

"But I –"

"I'm not finished." Kitty warned as she pointed a finger in Marley's direction. "Now take my advice, and find yourself either a fat camp or a plastic surgeon. I cannot stand by and watch you make life worse for everyone while your elephant thighs are causing such earthquakes in McKinley High. Better yet, why not make a mental note and remind your mother later on? And once you've returned to McKinley High, the Cheerios and I can do you two a big favor, and ban any transfatty, sugary, high-calorie foods from you two, keeping them at a seventy-five-foot distance so we can enjoy what's left in the kitchen that your mother bothered to save for us."

With a shameless shrug, Kitty grabbed her belongings, turned on her heel, and made her way down the hallway, leaving Marley on the floor, feeling offended.

* * *

You would expect someone like Marley Rose to get angry at another someone like Kitty Wilde. It's completely understandable. No one ever likes to be teased or put down like the ruthless, blonde Cheerio did to the innocent teen girl moments ago.

However, for Marley, it was the other way around.

It was true, she hated some of the things Kitty and the other jocks and cheerleaders did to her. In another sense, though, she idolized Kitty. It was so ironic, but she saw some good behind the evil mask she covered her face with. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, but she knew it was there.

Marley believed in mainly one principle: everyone had a soft peel to their orange (it wasn't her best daily quote, but it came to her mind as she was studying for an algebra test, resting an orange slice on her tongue as she read through a plethora of notes). She always reminded herself to keep a journal filled with quotes she made up, some songs that got her through the day, and a list of positive words or improvements she could make each day. Before her mother dropped her off early this morning, she wrote in a dark green neon pen: "_One won't know what the sun feels like if they haven't crossed Earth's atmosphere_." It always urged her to follow all of her dreams – the meteors and shooting stars that were flying across the sky at night, as she worded it in her journal – and to achieve all of her life goals. If she was ever going to be a radio singer when she graduated from high school and college, she had to start somewhere.

Her first life obstacle came in the form of McKinley High's biggest bitch and the Cheerios' most prized possession: Kitty Wilde. She had to be the most rotten apple in the orchard, with just a more appealing body figure and a pretty face and high pony. All of the times Marley would cool down and prevent herself from breaking down due to Kitty's antics, she would take a moment and wonder what Kitty's life was like. She probably got everything she wanted – nice clothes and accessories, a wonderful family, a bunch of money, vacations to New York and L.A. whenever she and her parents had the free time. _Why can't I be like her?_ Marley thought as she got up from her position on the floor.

Aside from Kitty's personal life, though, why would she be so angry and bitchy all of the time? Was it some type of cheerleader code in high schools nowadays? It seemed like every high school-related story had something to do with popular students and cliques. Marley didn't want that for herself. She just can't fit into that lifestyle. Ever since she started watching _High School Musical_ when she was younger, she wanted to be a part of something that made her want to be free with her life, hence the reason why Marley took the liberty in joining New Directions.

New Directions, although not full of a well-received group of students, is a National championship-winning glee club that had taken home the first place Nationals trophy last year before some of its alumni have graduated. Marley has heard some things about all of the alumni members, preferably their proclaimed rising star, Rachel Berry. One of this year's seniors, Artie Abrams, had directed Marley to the library towards a shelf full of Thunderclaps – McKinley's annual yearbooks. After viewing a plethora of different club pages in the activities section of the Thunderclap, Marley was astounded of the idea that Rachel was heavily involved – the Speech Club, the Mock United Nations Club, the Renaissance Club, the Muslim Students Club – hell, even the Black Student Union accepted her. While Marley saw the ambitious, Broadway-bound diva as an inspiration, Artie and the rest of New Directions saw her as "a pain in their ass."

Anyways, Marley thought joining New Directions would give her the edge she needed if she wanted to become a radio singer when she grew up. That's right, of all occupations in the world, ranging from Nobel Peace Prize-winning scientist to Tony Award-winning actress, Marley chose the somewhat laid-back lifestyle of the radio song artist. She didn't mind, though, considering that it would be less competition with the rest of the world. Marley figured that more people should show their interest.

Marley gave it her best shot to survive throughout the day as she strolled on to her classes. She was too excited about the next glee club meeting, completely forgetting the evil antics of one Kitty Wilde. Lucky for her, they only had two or three periods together, so what else could possibly go wrong?

The ultimate answer: anything.

She turned a corner and noticed a very muscular senior member of the McKinley High School Titans. Marley stood in the middle of nowhere like a deer in headlights. Whenever she saw a Titans varsity jacket on any guy – personality could be the last thing on her mind – she felt the need to steer clear.

The Titans were a part of the popular crowd at McKinley, like any other social hierarchy at any other high school around the nation. They were filthy creeps that have a hunger for those with a weakness, and they appreciated the thrill in seeing an innocent freshman getting slushied in the teachers' parking lot. Meanwhile, their prey always looks back at them with a fearful eye, almost catching a glimpse of _the light_ before they become socially, mentally, and emotionally murdered.

Marley felt that she was this guy's first customer.

"Sweet cheeks," he spoke with a sly look on his face. Marley tried to ignore the sweat from the roots of his hair, along with the black metal ring on his right thumb; they made her a little nervous. "The babes call me _Bradiator_ since I'm too irresistible to pass up." He winked back at her, but Marley didn't move. She knew exactly what he wanted. "What's your sign?"

Marley wasn't really sure how to answer, honestly. She never carried on conversations with popular students. She wasn't sure if they would take her seriously or not. They would either treat the brunette like a five-year-old and giggle behind her back once they're through with her, or they wouldn't bother to show their least bit of attention or sympathy, thereby shedding scales to their mean or bitchy personalities.

After a couple of moments of silence from the shy sophomore, the teen before her chortled. "I get it," he began, and Marley gulped a bit inside. "You're one of _those_ types of girls." Marley's eyes trained down a bit, noticing one of his hands reaching inside his varsity jacket pocket. Who knows what football jocks carried around with them nowadays. In those old eighties movies where guys had Elvis-esque hairstyles, they often had switchblades or cigarettes in handy. Fast forward, and they end up possessing weed, condoms, and even hand guns.

Marley tingled inside once she heard the teenage boy speak up again. "Don't worry, though, Plum. I've got something to straighten you out." He balled up whatever object he held in his left hand and smirked at the self-conscious girl. The only thing other than weed Marley could believe it could have been was –

"Back off, butt head." Thank the heavens.

Marley's head darted in the direction of a dark skin-toned teenage boy with a leather jacket on. He looked awfully familiar to her. _Isn't he in the glee club?_

The black teen still had his eyes on the football player before him, standing defensively in front of Marley. "It's pretty clear that she doesn't want anything that you have." Marley pursed her lips together. _Literally._ The two seemed to agree. Marley didn't even know this guy, and he was already asking for some trouble. Her mother told her incidents about people like that, and Marley made sure that she was aware of anyone like that. And she wasn't sure of how Christian she was, but all good things came to those who prayed.

The Titans football jock – Marley assumed that he was named _Brad_, judging by the terrible excuse of a nickname – shrugged and had his hands out beside him as he looked around for the nearest _Punk'd_ cinematographer, yet there wasn't one in sight.

"And what?" he replied sarcastically. "You think you're President Obama or Derek Rose or something?" Marley stood still behind the boy, who didn't move an inch except the tighter hold of his fists. "You think you're just gonna barge around and tell people what to do?" The jock continued asking questions, but he didn't receive any answers. Some questions probably didn't even have an answer; they were either some rhetorical thoughts passed on about life, or they were too irrelevant to process. This happened to be one of those incidents.

The teenager before Marley took a couple of steps towards him, both of their faces literally two centimeters away from each other. "Maybe I wasn't clear the last time I said it." He clenched his teeth together; however, Marley was unaware of his facial expressions. "Leave Marley alone. Now," he growled once more, "before I end up doing something I won't regret."

The jock before him just snickered. "What, like, come to my house and place a flaming bag of shit on my door?" he teased with his arms folded in front of his chest. He didn't seem at all nervous about the predicament he was in, nor the capabilities the black teen had under his sleeve. A tinkle could be seen in the innocent girl's eyes as she observed the scene before her; a deer in headlights cautiously stood clear of the engine ahead. Marley didn't want a fight; she wanted to be in a safe place, and high school was definitely not one of them.

After moments of silence, the jock scoffed and turned on his heel as if he had better things to do. "Like you're supposed to scare me or something," he mumbled as he strolled away. The black teen was still standing in front of the shy sophomore, being the gentlemen that Marley wished other guys would be.

Marley was caught in a daze for about a few moments until she heard the teen before her speak her name. "Marley?" His voice was a bit deep and husky. In another world, he would be a giant, lovable Labrador retriever with a perfect, dark caramel coat. Marley always wanted a dog of her own, but her mother told her on occasions that it would ruin the only furniture they could afford at a certain time.

"Marley," the teen before her spoke again, "you okay?"

Marley was so into it with her thoughts that she just realized that they shared the glee club together. What was his name again? Jasper…Jayden…Lucifer? "I…um, I –" She was so embarrassed, and that wasn't just including the guy giggling before her with the most contagious smile in the world. Marley had to admit, he was kinda cute.

She took a moment to relax, and responded to him with a breathy laugh. "I'm sorry." Her eyes shot towards his, taking notice of how his eyes shined in the fluorescent lighting above their heads. Not many people talked to her before, and she barely had that many opportunities to talk to them back. This was like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to redeem herself (even after the confrontation she had with Kitty Wilde). "T-thank you again…" She paused for a moment, nervous. "You know, for helping me."

The teenager before her sincerely nodded. "A pleasure," he responded, extending his hand towards Marley. "I'm Jake. Jake Puckerman."

Marley couldn't contain the eager smile that grew upon her face. "M-M-Marley. Marley Rose." They both smiled in each other's direction, both nervous about how awkward yet satisfying this interaction was. It was almost as if the rest of the world didn't exist, and they were just standing there with plenty of time in the world to spare. Unfortunately, speaking of time –

"Oh gosh," Marley panicked as she searched the hallway for the nearest clock. 9:55. She was practically late for her third-period class. "I-I-I am so, so sorry." Marley told Jake in a rush, adjusting her bag strap so it would be comfortable to carry her belongings. "I – I have to go –"

Jake's hands clenched Marley's shoulders and kept her from nearly bouncing off the walls. "Hold on, hold on." He tried calming her down. How could she calm down, though? Marley was almost never late for class for a day in her life. In fact, at her old school, she would always get an award at the end of the school year for perfect attendance. She was completely ignoring the fact that she had just spent a quality moment with someone she had the potential to be friends with – all because she was worried about being tardy.

"J-Jake," Marley stuttered for the umpteenth time today, "it was so generous of you to help me out and everything, but –"

"Wait, Marley. Hold on, let me help." Marley shut her eyes for a moment while the inside of her body was literally beating like a bongo drum. In an another attempt to calm her down, he interrupted her in an easy tone. "Whose class do you have this period?" It's like he was reading her mind or something.

"Uh…g-geometry." She cursed herself for stuttering every time this Jake person had spoke to her. She felt as if it made her have some of the behaviors of a four-year-old.

Again, with a calm tone that Marley was surprised Jake had possessed, the male before her extended his hand again, waiting for Marley to take it. "We have the same class. I could walk you there." He smiled at her softly, hoping this would satisfy Marley.

And sure enough, it did. Marley felt a bit better when she was around him, even when that random football player was making an entire scene just to mess with her emotions. When Marley first came to this school, she couldn't imagine having a friend like Jake was to her. He was such a gentlemen, in general, despite his confrontation with the football jock, although it was wise of him to think of Marley's feelings.

Maybe, just maybe, nothing can go wrong after all.


	2. September 17th - Pt 2

**Author's Note**: Liked the first chapter so far? What did you think of it? That was really sweet of Jake for helping Marley, and God knows what Kitty is up to. Well, in this next chapter, we're going to find out.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything related to _Glee_. All of the rights to the show go to Ryan Murphy and Co., and Twentieth Century Fox.

* * *

**Chapter Two  
**_Monday, September 17__th_

* * *

"She looks hideous." Gossip, whether about people in the school or outside of the school, often got around quite easily. Teenage girls will talk smack about anyone and anything – mainly the popular ones. Every juicy detail gets sent in the airwaves, and the entire student body becomes aware of what's being told behind closed doors. It becomes everyone's concern.

In this case, however, it wasn't all that juicy within the less than soundproof walls of the ladies' bathrooms.

A black-haired Asian teen carried on a conversation with a black teen with short, curly, brunette hair and probably one of the best attires an African American girl can possess: snug, skinny jeans on her legs, a purple blouse, and some black flats to go along with them. Both girls were searching through a couple of teen magazines, looking for an outfit to wear for this year's homecoming dance. To the Asian's surprise, the other girl found a little number that was definitely not appealing to her.

"Girl, she may have the posture of an outta shape bus stop pole from a car accident, but trust me," the black teen assured her, "her dress is a win-win."

The Asian girl – commonly known as Tina Cohen-Chang (unless the faculty of McKinley High decides on calling her Nina Conen-Chun, for some reason) – shook her head once more as she gazed upon the photo from _Teen Vogue_ magazine. "I've seen better." She dismissed, scanning through the pile of magazines on the sink for something else for the fashionista. "After all, there are other colors other than black that fits for you, you know."

The black diva, otherwise known as Unique Adams, cocked an eyebrow as she watched Tina grab another _Teen Vogue_ magazine from the bottom of one of the stacks. "I guess there are." Unique giggled, and Tina winked in her direction. The Asian beauty scanned her eyes through a couple of pages, but didn't succeed to find anything. It was that moment that Unique paused in her thoughts, realizing what Tina literally just said. "Oh, hold up. Was that meant to be racist?" Unique snapped.

Tina's head turned towards Unique's, her lengthy, black hair swaying to the side so it wouldn't be in the way of her eyes. "Seriously?" Tina scoffed for a moment. She looked up and down Unique's stature. "You're black. I'm Asian. We're the core victims of racism." Tina shrugged. "It's like we were meant to battle the world."

Unique shook her head. Nothing could have been more true at this point, especially not that snide comment towards the model in one of the _Teen Vogue_ issues the black diva browsed through. Even two of the most popular girls in school could be spat on by a bunch of idiots. Society was full of idiots. Stereotypes sprung about the nation like a broken bee hive. _All black people liked to eat chicken and watermelon, wear weave, and act ghetto._ Unique didn't believe that, but it was a common statement in America that, to her, was getting old. _All Asians are smarter than the rest of the world and are destined to be the next engineers in the future to create time machines and new cars._ Tina scoffed. She lived next door to a Japanese fifteen-year-old, at one point, and he didn't know what imaginary numbers were. What an ass.

Both girls were so into their thoughts that, when the bathroom door was slammed open, they both jumped out of their skin. Tina thought she was deaf in her right ear for a moment when she heard Unique yelp like a dog. Coming around the corner was their queen bee, still a bit steamed after having a conversation with Marley Rose out in the hallway.

"Any of you girls have a curling wand on you?" Kitty barked as she stormed past Tina, placing a Michael Kors Stanthorpe black satchel on the sink. Unique and Tina eyed each other, cautiously wondering the cause of Kitty's anger. Realizing that she wasn't receiving an answer, Kitty gazed up. "A blow dryer? An electric razor?" Kitty questioned again, her eyes focused on the mirror before her, shrugging at the two behind her. _Hopeless._

Kitty took a deep breath and searched her hand bag for her makeup essentials, beginning to mumble to herself. "I need _something_ to dip in a bucket of water so I can execute the shit out of that girl –"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tina exclaimed, grabbing Kitty by the shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. The blonde cheerleader rolled her eyes and whirled around, facing Tina and crossing her arms. "Kitty, what the hell happened out there?"

The Cheerio tightened her grip on her arms. "What the hell didn't happen, I should ask?" That left Unique and Tina speechless and confused. Kitty rolled her eyes once more before turning back towards the bathroom mirror, applying some eyeliner to her eyes. "Some loser bitch doesn't know her lefts from her rights, that's for damn sure. And that's not even the worst part." She placed the cap back on the applicator and slammed a hand on the edge of the sink. "It's that damn fat lunch lady's daughter."

Tina disgustingly frowned while Unique's eyebrows inched in shock. "W – Marley?" Unique asked for clarity. "Marley Rose?" Kitty reluctantly nodded.

"Ugh, I heard she came directly out of the welfare unit." Tina scoffed as she applied some L'Oreal lip gloss to her full lips. Kitty cocked an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Had she been raised in Africa, she'd be the richest person in one of their districts." Tina teased, and all of the girls giggled.

Kitty couldn't contain the bitchy smirk that grew on her face. "Fuck that, she would be the female Bill Gates." Tina and Unique both burst out in laughter. Her evil smile stayed steady on her face as she watched her two friends high-five and process their minds of more Marley Rose gossip. It was one thing she loved to hear when she was the queen bee of her own clique.

The blonde turned her head back to the pile of magazines that were scattered all around the bathroom sinks and picked up one of the latest issues of _Cosmo Girl_. "So what's all of this trash?" Kitty questioned the girls once their laughter died down, handing the magazine back to Tina and turning towards them both. "You milking over celebrities' body parts again, Adams?" Unique deadpanned at that.

Tina's eyes literally bugged out of their sockets. "Oh em gee, Kitty." The blonde turned to the Asian, confused. Tina scoffed again as if it was obvious. "Homecoming season is here, sweetheart." Kitty cocked her left eyebrow and smiled. "Or, it _would_ be here, had the school year just rushed itself a bit." Tina continued, a bit irritated.

"I know what you mean, Tina." Kitty spoke sympathetically, picking up a _Seventeen_ magazine with Troian Bellisario on the cover and gently flipping through the pages to find a nice outfit. "But no need to worry, though." Kitty continued confidently. "Time's not going to matter in order to get the whole school's vote for homecoming duchess."

Unique snapped her fingers like a proud mama once Kitty reminded her of the homecoming court. "Ooh, girl, you totally got my vote." She praised, and Kitty beamed.

"The whole school's gonna have her vote," Tina added as a matter of factly. "I mean, come on. What other girl in our grade is going to have the opportunity to be crowned McKinley High's homecoming duchess?" Tina asked in an obvious manner, and Unique dismissed her statement, not seeming worried for a bit.

"Or homecoming queen, two years from now?" Kitty added, grabbing a makeup brush and painting her cheeks with light powder foundations. "And soon after that, prom queen of 2015." She said in a dreamy voice as she eyed her reflection.

Homecoming and prom royalty literally meant everything to every girl in every high school in the United States. It was a basic status symbol – practically the height of their reputation. Every teenage girl had destined, at one point, to be the prettiest princess out on the dance floor with their dream date and placed a silver crown on top of their heads. Kitty had done a lot of research about these types of events, and she felt that she was ready for it. She had the popularity – cheerleading gave her a really sharp edge – and her dream guy, Ryder Lynn (well, not yet, at least). All she needed were the perfect dress and the shiny, silver crown.

She noticed that the bathroom had gotten awfully quiet, for Unique and Tina were watching Kitty like proud mothers. Kitty was a flawless teenage girl, exceedingly more than average. Her hair looked as if it were made of rich silk and glitter. Who could possibly out win her for homecoming court?

"Okay, we totally need to go shopping after school today." Kitty spoke up, cheerfully thinking about dancing in the gym room with Ryder on the night of the dance. She whirled around to the two girls behind her, holding her gold and black wallet in her right hand. "Who's with me?" Both of the girls before her cheered and squealed.

* * *

Unlike Kitty and her little gang from the popular clique, Marley wasn't up for having fun or feeling happy at the moment. Well, with Jake, she felt as if nothing else mattered. Unfortunately, he was sitting on the other side of the room, conversing with some basketball jocks about a recent event during the end of summer break. Marley was officially alone. No one else wanted to talk to her.

"Hey Rose!" the brunette heard behind her. Marley turned her head around slightly and noticed a blonde girl with braids and a nose piercing. She looked awfully irritated. "Move your head, fat ass." The students around her giggled along with the little charade.

Turns out that people _did_ want to talk to her; however, it wasn't much of a good conversation.

"Yo, Rose." A hockey jock two seats to her left called. "What's tan, green, and wide all over?" Two other jocks started to snicker as he spoke. Marley, disappointed, knew where this was headed. "Your mom eating lettuce heads in space." Other guys joined in on the laughter, but Marley could only turn her head away and bite her bottom lip.

Luckily, the teacher had her back. "Boys," he called to that second row. "Boys!" Everyone in the room was silent. "Could you please pay attention to the discussion and stop teasing other students?"

Even if it only lasted a couple of seconds, the brunette was more than thankful to have Mr. Greyson, the Geometry teacher, by her side. She knew that Jake had her side, too; however, he didn't show it once she glanced in his direction. In fact, he wasn't even _looking_ at her anymore. Cliques, popularity, and reputations had everyone turned on their heads. People weren't themselves anymore. They weren't normal.

* * *

The rest of the day didn't go as planned, either. Marley could write down the number of instances she walked herself into when people started to bully her. And as each situation ended, Marley would have a spot in her notebook to write them all down.

_1. Grace Newsome running into me in the cafeteria, literally spilling soup and beans all over my favorite sweater._

Marley had to rush to the back of the kitchen to find her mother and convince her to go out and buy something else to wear, or at least take her home to her bedroom closet. She knew that Grace meant well, and she wasn't as ruthless as some of the other students in McKinley High, but she couldn't be seen all around school, smelling like a less satisfactory lunch lady perfume.

_2. Travis Heflin giving me a slushie before my gym period._

Marley will never forget Travis. He almost resembled a twin brother to Kitty Wilde, although they were nowhere near related. Marley didn't even think that they interacted once in their lives. Regardless, he was a disgraceful and intolerant person. Before gym, he had the nerve to splash a cold, blueberry slushie directly in Marley's face. On top of that, after having changed into some gym clothes for her P.E. period, several volleyballs came flying in her face as the students carried on with a couple of rounds. The hard-surfaced volleyballs made Marley feel as if she had broken her nose.

_3. Three or four Cheerios snapping a photo of me while I was getting dressed AFTER gym._

And if that wasn't enough, the Cheerios always had something vicious to add to the game. A redhead and another brunette that looked to have a massive boob job on herself snuck into the girls' locker room after Marley's gym period, and took several photos of her as Marley removed her sweaty gym top off. After leaving the locker room, Marley overheard from a couple of people in the halls, seniors and all, that her leaked nude photos were posted all over Instagram. Lucky for Marley, she didn't have an Instagram nor did she plan on making one.

Unfortunately, regardless of what social networking account she had, her reputation was still ruined on the first week of school.

At the end of the day, with no one to turn to, Marley took a moment to go inside one of the empty ladies' restrooms and into a stall to cry out all of her feelings. There were some things she learned about today that she felt as if she agreed with them. Did she really have a…_fat gene_? Would she end up like her mother someday? Are guys only pretending to like her just to label her as a slut? Is she going to end up like those lonely, old ladies with the five million cats in her apartment?

She had too many thoughts, some that she can't even process. She had to write some of them down. Even if she didn't have a friend to talk to at the moment, she could use her journal as kind of a friend, right?

_Dear Diary,_

_I can't take it anymore. I'm not really sure why everyone hates me, or why I even get bullied in the first place. I don't bother anyone; in fact, I'd rather be friends with everyone. No one ever wants to get along with me whenever I have the opportunity._

Marley took a moment to calm herself down, realizing she was taking some shaky breaths as she wrote. She used her sleeve to wipe some of the tears off her cheeks, and continued to write.

_Is there ever going to be hope for me? Like, do you think one day that everyone can just get along? I know it's not realistic, but trust me, I want it to work. Everyone in high schools and stuff shouldn't have to be segregated into different cliques or anything to recognize their place in the world. Not even that Jake kid that I talked to earlier today. He hangs out with some jocks at school now, ever since the moment he helped me earlier. But I just don't understand how he puts up with them. I thought he sided with me and what I thought… I guess not anymore._

Marley paused before she wrote another sentence. Her heart was beating at a fast pace as she noticed Jake's name on her paper. Honestly, he was one of the sweetest guys Marley had ever met, and she was confident that he had a space in his heart for the destined radio star.

But…he looked to have made his decision. He would rather be with the jocks than be with simple loners like Marley.

And with that, Marley inscribed another sentence with a shaky hand: _I wish I had a real friend…_

* * *

They were all looking at her. She knew that she was late for yet another lesson, and she knew that her eyes had gotten all red and puffy after her depression session in the bathroom. However, it was a really hard time for the brunette girl. There are times when girls can't help but let the world come crashing down on their chest to understand what reality has given them. For Marley, this was one of those times.

However, Marley didn't want other members of New Directions to know what was wrong with her. As much as she cared about them, she felt that she wasn't in a steady place to discuss her problems. So, when entering the choir room, she closed her eyes shut and headed towards an empty seat, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone.

"Marley?" The glee club's director, Will Schuester called. He grew concerned for the brunette, although her late entrance caused a disturbance for the rest of the group. Marley didn't answer him, though. At least not the first time. "Hey, are you okay?" Mr. Schuester called again. This time, Marley just nodded.

After moments of being silent and listening to the rest of Mr. Schuester's lesson, Marley took a moment to gaze around the room at the people who were in the meeting. She wasn't really comfortable with talking with any of them, honestly, though they all meant well. In front of her sat Sam Evans and Blaine Anderson, who, stated by another Cheerio named Brittany Pierce, was almost too gay to function – though Marley assumed that Brittany just wanted a _Mean Girls_ moment. Speaking of Brittany, who was, in fact, repeating her senior year of high school, sat a few seats away from Marley, having a conversation with a wealthy teen named Sugar Motta. And another guy in the club, Joe Hart, was having a moment to himself as he read a couple of chapters of a book for his English class.

Marley noticed that Jake didn't show up to the glee club meeting. She didn't know his reason why, but what was her purpose for thinking about him anyway? It's not like he really cared about seeing her…did he?

Marley decided not to think so much about him, and started doodling in a random page in her notebook, oblivious to the wheelchair kid staring up at her from the first row. Artie Abrams was kind of a friend to her; after all, they did share a couple of conversations during gym while everyone else was busy doing sprints. Artie himself was feeling upset due to Marley's silence, and he felt that it was his duty to talk to her after glee club rehearsals.

* * *

The glee club session was over for the day. All of its members piled out of the choir room and towards their lockers. Sam, Brittany, and Blaine were walking in a group to God knows where. Sure, Marley barely interacted with either one of them, but she thought it would be a good idea to sneak in and focus her mind off of her personal problems.

"So, Britt." Marley overheard Blaine's happy-go-lucky voice as she watched him adjust the strap to his bag. Marley wasn't sure on what the second-year senior was up to in front of her, but she assumed that she got bored with the day and started decorating her yellow pencil with pink and lime green nail polish…

Which was…a bit weird.

"What are you going to wear for the homecoming dance next month?" Blaine continued on as he searched his IPhone for another text message from the _Broadway babe_, or whatever he called New York-bound college freshman Kurt Hummel when he was having one of his "moments".

The tall, blonde Cheerio in front of Marley just shrugged. "I'm carefully deciding between Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus." She responded, dumbfounded, "though you can't go wrong with going Britney Spears." Marley scrunched her nose and stopped in place as she watched Brittany mix up her response with some irrelevant opinions towards her homecoming dance outfit.

Honestly, Marley wasn't sure if she wanted to even attend homecoming. A lot of people in the school seemed to hate her for some odd reason, and she didn't even do anything to them. It can't be jealousy; what could a slim, five foot three, gorgeous Cheerio have to be jealous of in terms of Marley? At least she had enough money to afford perms and beauty salon washes. Marley was still forced to use the sink and have her mother wash her hair by hand.

"Marley!" she heard Artie call her name from down the hall. The poor guy had to put force into his arms in order to push his wheelchair down the hall. Marley knew how hard that was; she once broke her left leg when playing soccer, and had to stay off of it for five to six weeks. "Wait up, I wanted to talk to you." He replied.

Marley sighed. "Look, Artie," she spoke, clutching her books to her chest, "I want to study with you for Spanish, but my mom needs me back at home." She could feel God striking her down. Her mom didn't really need her at home, at the moment; she just wanted an excuse to get away from other people and cry herself to sleep.

Artie was in a daze for a couple of seconds and shook his head clear of his thoughts. "O…kay…" he replied awkwardly. "I mean, Mr. Martinez made it easier on me –" He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a whisper, "even though Schuester wasn't that bad at it, either –"

Marley deadpanned in his direction, which broke Artie's serious demeanor and made him laugh. "I'm totally kidding," he confessed, and Marley started laughing herself. Her laughter started to die down as she noticed the concern growing in Artie's facial expression. "But honestly, Marls," he continued, "I'm kind of worried for you."

Marley wasn't up for having this discussion right now. After all, she's already been through too many moments within the first day of school that are worthy of crying over. "W-what are you talking about?" she tried to dismiss, but Artie didn't falter.

"You're not…_you_ today…" Artie explained, and Marley's head sunk to the ground. "You're normally that very energetic and enthusiastic girl every day since I met you at orientation last month. And during glee club rehearsals, you came in with puffy eyes, not saying a word."

_Had he really noticed?_ Marley wondered as the nail on her thumb scratched the top of her left hand. "Um, Artie," Marley spoke up nervously, " can we not talk about this now? My mom wants me home right now, and –"

She barely had enough time to stall the wheelchair-bound teen and get away from the conversation as fast as possible. He wheeled in front of her the moment she turned down the other hallway. "Listen here, Rose." Artie began with a firm voice. "I know you more than you already think, and your mom wouldn't have the slightest issue that involved you, unless you burned in a hatch of fire."

Marley's lips pursed together, and she broke into a nervous smile. "I guess not."

Marley didn't like keeping things away from Artie, especially since he was always willing to help her in her time of need. However, she didn't think that anyone could solve the predicament she was in. Not only she had to deal with the popular McKinley High students bothering her all of the time, but she had to worry about whether Jake's earlier assistance was just a wake-up call; whether there was hope in having someone that would sincerely care for her (well, other than Artie, of course).

Yet here Artie Abrams was, extending his hand towards her as a friendly gesture. He seemed to be the only person other than Jake who tried to dedicate a moment of his time to help with one of Marley's problems. Maybe she should just give in again. Maybe Artie could help find a way to get Jake to notice her since he clearly knows more about guys and their wants and needs in comparison to the brunette girl. Maybe there could be hope for her after all.

"Come on, Marls," Artie begged. "Let Professor Wheels do you a favor." Marley giggled a bit at his little alias.

"You know, I do appreciate you helping me," Marley began as her laughter died down, and Artie nodded and continued to listen. "It's just…" Marley paused and started biting her bottom lip. Her eyes trained down to her favorite brown booties that her mother had gotten her. She wore a short skirt along with it, and had some black leggings because she was afraid to show a lot of skin. She'd like to think that she looked nice in a world of society's expectations for the definition of "beautiful". However, the rest of the school didn't think so, or were too afraid to admit it.

Artie's eyebrows furrowed in concern as he watched Marley shrug and start to walk down the hallway. "I don't know. I've been having a rough first day of school."

The AV club president wheeled down the hallway with her and continued listening. "What do you mean? Is the work here too much or something?" Artie asked, confused.

"No, not really." Marley responded, though she wasn't really dropping any hints of what was really wrong with her. She took a deep breath and sighed again. "It's just…well, I thought I would be able to get along with people here. I was so excited about coming to this school, but –"

"But what?"

Marley shrugged again. "I keep getting bullied." She could've sworn that she murmured, but she heard Artie gasp next to her.

"Who in the black and white hell has been messing with my little rose?" Artie animatedly exclaimed. Marley chuckled a little inside, but then started to remember that gorgeous and ruthless face from earlier this morning. How could she stay so beautiful every day? How could she gain so much power? How could she get the rest of the school to poke fun at her without even trying that hard? "It started off with that Kitty Wilde girl, and…well…it basically spread throughout the entire school." Artie heard her say.

"Oh hell naw." Artie replied.

"I know. It was…pretty mean." Marley admitted.

"_Pretty_ mean?" Artie placed emphasis on _pretty_. And yes, Marley wasn't afraid to say it: _pretty_ mean. Everything about Kitty Wilde was pretty – her hair, her figure, her brainwashing to the entire school, her ability to get boys to be attracted to her, her ability to gain boatloads of friends, and even the security of being on the Cheerios. Everything about the blonde cheerleader made Marley feel like an average outsider who sits on the bleachers at every football game just to watch how much of a perfectionist she really is. "Marley, she's more than _pretty_ mean; she's Sue Sylvester's more attractive demon spawn from above. It would take a microscope to detect the location of her heart."

Marley furrowed her eyebrows. Okay, maybe Artie took it too far. "What are you saying? Maybe she's not _completely_ heartless –"

"Marley," Artie interrupted, halting the wheels on his wheelchair. "She once told me that she would cut my legs off and use them as Halloween decorations because little kids would start crying once they see lifelike, dysfunctional zombie feet on her lawn." Marley's eyes slowly started to bug out of their sockets. "And then she would use my wheelchair and tell all of the kids a story of how the lonely librarian tried to bone a ten-year-old, which lead to him being handicapped, and then he died when he rolled over a bridge."

"I mean…Kitty was probably just being…sarcastic. She wouldn't really do that." Marley started getting a little scared herself. Would Kitty really do that? Sure, she would torture people's lives, leading to their poor self esteem, but she wouldn't go that far…would she? In today's life, possibilities are endless. For all Marley and Artie knew, Kitty was probably in a forest, roasting a hockey player for dinner.

"In order to tolerate and handle her," Artie began, "you need to really understand what kind of a person she is. She may look attractive and innocent on the outside, but she's a whole lot more." Marley nodded in agreement. After all, looks can be deceiving sometimes. She watched as Artie extended his hand again. "Come to the library with me. I want to show you something."

And with that, Artie and Marley made their way down the other direction.

* * *

**Author's Note**: For all those wondering about the whole Unique being a boy/girl thing, she actually gets a storyline in my fan fiction, and we will learn more about that as we continue. Anyways, how did you guys like the Artie-Marley friendship? Are you ready to see more? Reviews are appreciated, and be ready for the next installment of _We Almost Knew_. Happy reading, all!


	3. September 17th - Pt 3

**Author's Note**: I'm baaack. How did you like the first two chapters so far? Well, you're in for a surprise because I have chapter three right here. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter Three  
**_Monday, September 17__th_

* * *

The library, at the moment, seemed a bit vacant due to the fact that it was the end of the day, and the majority of students had already gone home – or perhaps to find some drugs, according to Artie. Luckily, there were only a few students left, and they were tending to some good books to read or some homework to do for tomorrow. One thing's for sure: Artie didn't want other students to hear what he had to tell Marley, because he was one hundred percent certain that Kitty would really end his life.

They both found a shelf near the fiction books where some extra copies of McKinley High's _Thunderclap_, or a fancy name for their yearbook, were sitting. Marley assisted in grabbing one of the recent issues from the third shelf, and she glanced at its cover as she made her way to the comfy sofa. "_William McKinley High School Thunderclap, 2011-2012_," Marley read the glossy front cover, tracing her hands over the designs. The title of the yearbook was written in red and imprinted on top of a white outline of a cheerleading megaphone. Around the title were white confetti pieces, and the infamous McKinley High logo was placed near the bottom.

"And a crazy year it was," Artie stated as he placed the brake on his wheels and reached for the book in Marley's hands. He started to open the book up and flipped through some pages. "If it's one thing I learned from strolling around these God-forsaken hallways of McKinley High, it's realizing who your true friends are." Marley nodded in agreement. "With that in mind," Artie continued, "I'm going to run through all of the people in the school you should steer clear of."

As Artie skimmed through the pages of the yearbook, Marley awkwardly frowned. "Isn't that, like, putting up limitations?" she questions.

"Only if you mind getting slushies thrown at your face every fourth period." Artie added, which was actually true. "Before getting to the specifics about each known student in McKinley High, let's start off with the basics: being familiar with the known cliques." He pointed to a couple of photos in the sports and activities sections of the yearbooks. "The popular people, the cool kids, the prodigies." Artie continued, and Marley listened as she glanced at a few photos of the football team in their red and white jerseys.

"You've got the football jocks," Artie continued. "They're the meanest, most obnoxious people in the entire school other than the Cheerios and the hockey jocks – well, Finn Hudson and Sam Evans aren't." Marley nodded. It was good to know that Jake wasn't those types of people.

The brunette paraplegic turned a page where the Cheerios were featured on the football field in the bright sun, with Coach Sue Sylvester standing in the middle. "Then you have the cheerleaders, who, once again, may look innocent and attractive, but are completely ruthless." Marley wondered how all of those girls managed to keep a very slim figure and gorgeous looks while wearing the same uniform every day. Marley didn't see herself as a cheerleader, of course, but she envied how they can pull their looks off.

"Here are the basketball players, both the boys team and the girls –"

"Wait," Marley interrupted, staring at a photo of the female basketball players. "They have a girls team, too?" She questioned.

Artie cocked an eyebrow in her direction. "Exactly." Marley would never realize in a million years that people didn't recognize the female basketball players as much as the other cliques until now. And she always thought it was just the nerds and the glee club who were destined for unpopularity. "See, a lot of cliques can't stand out at once," Artie explained, flipping through more pages. "Have you ever seen the AV club and the volleyball team ever get praise every day? Of course not, because they're recognized only at specific events."

Marley's eyebrows furrowed again. "Really?" she asked.

Artie shrugged, thinking about his membership in the AV club. Nothing much had been going on since Artie was in the club, other than the raunchy _Run Joey Run_ video Rachel Berry had filmed with Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman, and Jesse St. James and setting up for prom every year. "Well…the AV club could use some work." Marley sympathetically smiled and glanced back at the yearbook before the two.

With a final sigh, Artie continued to explain all of the information Marley needed. "Of course, there are many cliques in this school, and they're all hard to maintain," he continued, and Marley slightly nodded. "Today, we're not going to discuss them all, but you definitely need to beware of the Evil Eagles of McKinley High."

Marley scrunched her face as she gazed up at Artie, who was trying to find certain photos of people in the 2011 freshman section. "The…_Evil Eagles_?" she asked, confused.

"The most ruthless and conniving people in the entire school," Artie explained. "Trust me, Marley, you'll be twelve times safer once you know their places." He placed a finger on top of a photo of a girl with black curls and red lipstick. Marley thought that the girl was gorgeous, and she didn't think that…well, _Unique Adams_ was that mean at all.

"First, we have Unique Adams, biggest diva of the sophomore class and one of the most stylish trendsetters," Artie began, reflecting back to the first moment he and Unique interacted. The African American teen had a very fixed posture as she strutted down the hallway, holding her hand up to her side to observe her nails and carrying a white Michael Kors purse on her shoulder. She didn't recognize Artie at first because she had on some black sunglasses.

"I wouldn't dare to even touch her, if I were you," Artie warned Marley. "She's a tough cookie to work with."

* * *

_The paraplegic remembered the moment when his wheelchair accidentally bumped into Unique's leg. The girl almost fell forward on her face in her shiny black pumps. Luckily, she didn't face any injuries, which had Artie feel relieved; however, that didn't stop him from witnessing a bitch fit before his very eyes._

"_Watch where ya going, Bill Nye, ya nasty lookin' heifer!" Unique shouted in Artie's face after taking off her sunglasses, which had him feeling a bit scared at the moment. "Don't let my humps and cocoa puffs fool you, mkay? 'Cause I took three years of ka-ra-tae, and rest assured, if these pumps weren't new, I would bend your broken ass over and jam 'em right on in!" She took a three second pause to glare at the wheelchair-bound teen and yelled at him again. "Do I make myself clear?!"_

_Artie remembered cringing at the thought of her vicious words. "Uh, I – I'm, uh –" he stuttered at the sight of Unique's face after the removal of her sunglasses. "Y-yes, I'm s-so sorry, uh –"_

"_That's Unique Adams to you, pig skin," the diva responded, "and don't you dare forget!" With a snap of her fingers and a toss of her long curls, she continued strutting down the hallway to her next class._

* * *

Marley seemed very surprised while hearing the story. "My God, really?" she asked, and Artie nodded in response.

He flipped a couple of pages forward and pointed to a photo of an Asian teen with beautiful black hair and an innocent smile. The eye shadow and perfect skin stood out to Marley. "That's Tina Cohen-Chang," Artie explained. "It may be hard to believe, but…I actually kind of dated her."

"Really?" Marley asked, impressed.

"Up until she told me the story about how she faked a stutter her entire life." Artie added, and Marley's jaw dropped. "She, lately she's been doing a bunch of things in order to get what she wants – or, should I say, recreating herself in the form of a new Rachel Berry?" Artie questioned. Marley nodded in response, though she was still confused on how Rachel Berry really behaved. "Ever since the end of last school year, she's been upset that there would be a possibility of Blaine Anderson taking over the glee club," Artie explained, "then she threw a frenzy, and before you knew it, she was out of the club like that."

"A-are you serious?" Marley asked.

"Can't be any _more_ serious." Artie replied with a shrug. "She's no longer that innocent little girl whose name people tend to forget all of the time. She's made it clear to McKinley that she wants to reach heights that our little club can't even reach. With that in mind, she had joined the Cheerios during orientation this past August, and now she's living her life the way she wants to."

Marley started to feel bad for Artie. She would never believe in a million years that he and Tina were friends at one point. Marley knew that they had something special once she heard about the fact that they were dating a lifetime before this point. She hated how society made people react to things.

"And speaking of Cheerios," Artie spoke up, flipping a couple of pages back to the freshman page, "as you already know, we have one of the bitchiest girls in McKinley High: Miss Katherine Wilde."

Marley's eyebrows started to furrow for a moment. "_Katherine_ Wilde?"

* * *

"Allow me to introduce myself to all of you curious, and perhaps envious viewers in the YouTube world – or _reintroduce_ myself, for those who already know me, have a history with me, or liked or hated me at some point in life." Artie had pulled out his laptop and searched YouTube for the very first YouTube video that Kitty had posted in her freshman year of high school. Marley noticed that the blonde teen had used one of her cameras and filmed in natural sunlight that shone through the window of her bedroom. "The name is Katherine Lee Wilde, but my besties call me Kitty for short." She paused for a moment. "I know, weird how it escalated, am I right?"

In the video, Marley didn't think that Kitty looked the way she did now, probably because she wasn't wearing her Cheerios uniform and her face looked more relaxed. She was just leaning back in her wheelie chair, wearing a long, crochet cardigan with a floral white and pink crop top, and some high-waist shorts. Even when she was laying back on a normal day, she still managed to look flawless.

After being focused on the blonde for a couple of seconds, she decided to speak up. "So…this is Kitty's YouTube channel?" she questioned as she gazed upon the name, _KittyToMyWilde_, though it was pretty obvious.

"She made it in the summer before her freshman year after someone on Twitter asked her if she had a YouTube in the first place," Artie explained, scrolling down through the comments section to gaze upon the positive feedback the Cheerio had received over the years. "By the way, you should see her Twitter and Instagram. They're both over flown with followers."

"About how many?" Marley asked curiously. Her eyes trained down to the subscribe button, realizing that Kitty was more popular than Marley thought she was. _139,456 subscribers_. That's more than the pairs of brown booties Marley had stashed in her closet.

"Over 7,000 on Twitter, and over 4,000 on Instagram." Artie simply replied as he clicked on a different video from Kitty's account. Marley's eyes instantly bugged out.

"Over 7,000?" she repeated in shock. Artie nodded in response, and then Marley started to frown. "Wait, how do you even know all of this?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Artie's eyes shot up to Marley's, and he shrugged. "I've heard from various sources." He simply replied. Marley knew he was lying. She deadpanned him, and Artie's shoulders started to slump once he found out that he was caught. _Damn clever girl_. "Okay, _maybe_ – just maybe – I followed her in Instagram." He added.

Marley rolled her eyes and turned back to the laptop screen to watch the rest of an annoying toothpaste commercial play. "How was she able to get so many?" She asked after a moment of random silence.

"Easy: by making a status update every day, posting pictures of herself in her outfit of the week, and buying all of her friends with her looks and after school parties." Artie said sarcastically, observing a video of her ranting about a stranger who asked for some change at Steak N' Shake. "The hard thing to believe is that she got all of her YouTube followers to believe that she acted some of her videos out. In reality, she really says the shittiest things about people."

"Things like what?" Marley asked, concerned.

Artie took a moment to pause the video, and he turned in Marley's direction. "Well, it's…kind of hard to explain," he began, "but…" He paused for a moment and then reluctantly gave in. "Okay, so I may or may not have dated a cheerleader last year –"

"But I thought you said they were ruthless," Marley interrupted, still confused.

"It wasn't for my sake, okay?" Artie clarified. "Anyways, it was Becky Jackson. She's the blonde with the short hair and glasses that you saw earlier…" The brunette male shrugged. "You know, when she said that I…missed out on…_this_…" he explained a bit further, putting emphasis on _this_ and pretending to slap his butt with his hand.

"Oh…" Marley started to understand. She's seen Becky Jackson around before, so she knew what Artie was talking about. What she didn't understand was how the two started dating in the first place.

"So last year, she was upset because she didn't have someone that actually cared for her, and I decided to offer my services and…you know, take her out," Artie explained, and Marley slowly nodded. "But then when she found out that I wanted to end the little relationship we had together, she got really upset afterwards. Around the time Tina slowly transformed, she and Kitty started to become friends. Kitty heard from Becky about how the relationship went and came up with this idea to humiliate us. Tina and Kitty both posted a video on Kitty's account, imitating what the two of us dating would look like, and…" Artie shrugged again. "It didn't end well."

Marley had a really sad facial expression. _Why would Kitty and Tina do such a thing?_ She wondered. That didn't sound like something Tina would do to her former boyfriend. As far as Kitty went, she was worse than how Artie described her. If Marley had the ability, as well as the right, to do so, she would run all the way to her house and snatch her golden locks off her head. Too bad, for her, that Kitty was more powerful in comparison.

Artie noticed how sad Marley was, and he placed a hand on top of hers. "It's okay, Marley. You don't have to feel upset about it. In fact, I've moved on from that moment in the past. I'm more focused on helping my friends because I don't want to see them in danger." He gripped Marley's hand a bit more. "Can you trust me?"

All Marley could think about at the moment was what Kitty could possibly do to her now that she has heard all of Artie's story. The real world was a very scary place, especially in high school. She wasn't sure how people like Artie, other members in the glee club, or even her own mother went through such struggles. She also couldn't understand how someone like Kitty would go out of her way to make others feel miserable. It just wasn't right.

Thank God Artie was there to be a dear friend, because Marley wouldn't have learned so much before he came along.

* * *

"I'm home!" Kitty sang throughout her big all-American home. Tina and Unique strolled behind her with some bags full of things they purchased from the mall. All three of them have gone shopping for their homecoming attire, as well as some every day clothes that they couldn't keep their eyes off of. The moment she heard Kitty's voice, her mother walked in the room from her personal office.

"Hello, sweetheart," she greeted her daughter, embracing her in a motherly hug. "Did you gals have a wonderful day at the mall? Tell me everything that happened today," she spoke to all three girls. "I wanna know what the latest scoop is for the day. What's all the jazz about?"

While Kitty appreciated the fact that her mother wasn't too old school about life, she felt that she was stretching it a bit. Even Unique and Tina had to scrunch their faces at how much of a hipster Kitty's mother had become since they met her.

"Not much, except your less-than-appealing seventeen is showing," Kitty replied with a sarcastic tone. Tina couldn't help but giggle in response.

Before the three girls could make their way upstairs, Mrs. Wilde had called to them from the side of the railing. "Dad won't be home for another few hours; he's working overtime today. Still, make sure you're at the dinner table with us, okay?" she called.

Kitty pressed her lips together and nodded. "Sure…fine with me…" As she walked up the stairs, her facial expression changed. It's like she didn't want her father to come home or something. Lucky for her, Tina and Unique didn't notice, for they already made it to the second floor towards Kitty's bedroom.

Kitty's room was extraordinarily big, perhaps just as big as her parents' room. The floor was covered in smooth, dark chocolate wood with a long, fuzzy pink rug beside Kitty's queen-sized bed. Pretty much everything inside of her room was made of either lace or very soft cotton, and some things were embroidered with silver studs that looked close to real diamonds. Kitty had to be the most blessed teen on the block for her parents to win a twenty five million dollar lottery and to afford their daughter the nicest necessities.

"Put on 92.3," Kitty heard Tina say as she removed her cheerleading shoes and placed them beside the door once she walked in. A speaker on the radio had introduced the infamous song, _Story of My Life_ by One Direction, the one boy band Kitty loved to hate.

"Oh, my God. Turn that shit off," Kitty replied as she walked through her bedroom.

Tina furrowed her eyebrows a bit. "You don't like them?"

"I hate them just as much as I hate that fat lunch lady's Caesar salad with homemade turkey grease," Kitty scoffed. Unique seemed to have felt the same way, for she immediately reached towards the boom box to adjust the radio knobs. All of a sudden, an Avril Lavigne song started playing. "Besides, I'm not trying to get too comfortable with the music anyways, because I have a lot of homework to finish." Kitty added as she brought her backpack to her bed.

As Kitty and Tina grabbed their work from out of their backpacks, Unique stumbled upon a white binder sitting on Kitty's book shelf and started to pick it up. On the front cover, there were a lot of decorated stickers and photos of celebrities and products Kitty liked. In the center of the cover was Kitty's full name in pink and red letters, topped off with a few touches of glitter glue. "Kit Kat, what is this?" she asked, bringing the binder to the bed for the others to see.

Kitty waved a hand dismissively. "That's just my plan book for the entire year," she replied. "It's full of all the things I plan to do to help bring up my popularity in high school, along with a few schedules, notes, and ideas for YouTube videos."

Tina scooted over a bit to read along with Unique on all that was put into Kitty's binder. They found a section of the binder dedicated to the previous YouTube video ideas she had come up with – TMI tags, get ready with me videos, the Franny Feline Chronicles (whatever that was), TBH tags –

"The hell?" Unique spoke before she started laughing. A screen shot of one of Kitty's videos was taped inside of the page. Unique found it quite hysterical.

"What is it?" Tina asked, reaching for the photo to observe. It was a picture of Kitty and Tina reenacting Becky Jackson and Artie Abrams' relationship. Tina laughed a little bit while gazing upon the photo, especially because Kitty made the scene very hilarious; however, she couldn't seem to believe that Artie would even get himself involved with someone like Becky Jackson, who just so happened to be Sue Sylvester's sidekick and one of the many bitchy cheerleaders in the school.

Then again, she's not _all_ heartless. She just has her mean and sweet moments.

"Tina," Kitty spoke with a few chuckles, "don't act like you don't remember filming that, okay?" Both girls noticed Unique flat on her back, trying to recover from the belly laughter.

The Asian beauty shook her head rapidly. "No, I remember this," Tina spoke with a hushed giggle. "I just…" Her eyes glanced back at the book. "…can't believe how long it's been since we filmed this…" Tina suddenly felt as if she was actually missing what life was like when she and Artie were literally best friends. She hasn't spoken with him since about a week before the seniors' graduation – the very week she blew off everyone in the glee club and quit. However, had it not been for her resignation from New Directions, and she wouldn't have gained popularity from hanging out with Kitty. There were a lot of benefits towards that Tina could hardly name off the top of her head.

Kitty nodded in agreement. "Totally," she agreed. She paused for a moment as she grabbed her Geometry textbook. "You should totally watch the recent _Franny Goes to Starbucks_ video. It has to be one of my finest." She flattered herself. Tina smiled wholeheartedly, but it faded away as she continued thinking about the brunette paraplegic.

"Girl," Unique sang as she observed Kitty's YouTube account on her phone, "how in the utter hell do you get so many followers?" Her shocked facial expression turned towards the blonde, who shrugged simply. "I ain't even get past 500 on my account yet."

"Probably because you either don't upload as often, or something about your video sucks." Kitty responded, and the room suddenly got quiet, for Unique started to feel offended, and Tina was waiting for all hell to break loose. Kitty shrugged another time, her blonde ponytail swinging over her shoulder. "Nothing personal," she added. "It's just something common I see." Unique admittedly gave in and shrugged with her.

"I never owned a YouTube in my life," Tina explained, lounging back and reading a chapter book for her English class. "Never had the time, the tripod, nor the drive."

Kitty folded her arms in front of her chest. "Everyone's gonna wanna have the drive to make a YouTube account sooner or later," she explained, and Unique nodded in agreement. "YouTube today is the number one source for entertainment, popularity, and wealth in today's society. So whether you just wanna advertise for some cheap off-brand phone company or become a famous singer, YouTube remains your number one source for success."

The blonde allowed Tina to ponder over what she just said and walked towards her desk to grab the tripod and camera to film another YouTube video for her channel. After setting both up and getting enough natural light as possible, Kitty walked straight to her closet and grabbed a brunette wig that she used to use for when she did a summer production of _The Wizard of Oz_ at the boys' and girls' club. She placed the wig on top of her head, and wore a pink and orange knit cardigan over her Cheerios uniform.

Before turning the camera on, Kitty's head slowly turned towards Unique and Tina, and she smiled evilly. "Watch and learn."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Ooh, bad Kitty! I think we all know what's going to happen here. Anyways, how did you guys like the rest of the chapter? Stay tuned for chapter four of _We Almost Knew_. Until then, happy reading!


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